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TheNeedforanIntelligentDataPlatformWilliamMcKnight

McKnightConsultingGroupGlobalServices

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TableofContents

We’reAllintheBusinessofInformation.....................................................................3TheBusinessofData................................................................................................3PlatformingData......................................................................................................4

HowModernBusinessChallengesareDataChallenges...............................................7InsuranceandTelematics.........................................................................................7RetailCustomer360.................................................................................................8

DataMaturityMeansBusinessMaturity...................................................................10

InformationArchitectureisKeytoBusinessViability.................................................12DiverseDataIngestandIntegration.......................................................................13DataUnderManagement......................................................................................13360˚Views.............................................................................................................14ArtificialIntelligenceEnablement..........................................................................14

TheIntelligentDataPlatformResponse.....................................................................16

SequencingInitiativesUtilizinganIDP.......................................................................19

KeystoIntelligentDataPlatformSuccess..................................................................21

TheInformaticaIntelligentDataPlatform.................................................................23

AbouttheAuthor......................................................................................................25

AboutInformatica.....................................................................................................26

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We’reAllintheBusinessofInformationIncreasinglyadvancedamountsofinformationneedtobeincorporatedintobusinessoperationsforthosecompanieswhoaspiretobeindustryleaderstoday.Leaderscontinuetofinetunebusinessbasedondata,allocatingresourcesselectivelyacrosstheorganizationanditsinitiatives.Toaccedetothisstrategyrequiresanunprecedentedamountofaccessibleinformation.Whilehumanjudgmentremainsvital,thenatureofbusinessjudgmentischanging.Itmustgrowtoutilizemoreinformationanditmustutilizethatinformationmoredeeply.We’reallinthebusinessofinformation.Itisthewayabusinessutilizesitsinformationtodaythatwillsetitapart.Businessesneedmoreinformation,cleanerinformation,andmoreaccessibleinformationonbetterperformingplatformsthantheircompetitorstosurviveandthrive.Atthesametime,thecompetitivebattlefieldisquicklymovingfromtraditional,alphanumericdatatoallpossibledatawhichincludesastepuptotheunstructuredhigh-volumedatathatisbigdata.Whenyouaddinthird-partydata,thebodyofdataavailabletoeachcompanytogetundermanagementismind-boggling.Information–thevalueassociatedwithdata–canbeyetanotherstory.Informationshouldhaveallofthecharacteristicsofcomprehensive,clean,accessibleandwell-performing.Informationisdataundermanagementthatcanbeutilizedbythecompanytoachievegoals.Themainissuesinbridgingthedividetoinformationandtocompetitiveadvantageiswherethiswhitepapercomesin.Inthispaper,Iwillreviewinformation’simportancetobusiness,connectdataarchitecturetobusinesssuccess,definedatamaturityanddiscusshowtoarchitectinformationandimprovedatamaturityefficientlywithanIntelligentDataPlatform.

TheBusinessofDataTheearthgeneratedabout4zettabytesofdigitaldatain2013.IDCforecaststhatwewillgenerate40zettabytes(ZB)by2020.Now,allthatdataisn’tused,butincreasingly,moreofitis.Andit’snotjuststoredonce.Datawithvalueisbranchedoffinto

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numerousdatabasesacrossmultiplecompanies.Inonlythelastfewyears,asmuchdatahasbeengeneratedashadpreviouslyeverexisted.Manyindustriesdonotshipproductsorbuyrawmaterials.Theproductsandrawmaterialsaredata.Dataistheassetproducedbyinsurance,financial,healthcareandotherserviceindustries,butfurthermoreallindustriesproducedataandneedtoanalyzeitforitscompetitiveadvantage.Informationdifferentiatesallfromcompetitors.Informationqualityimpactsallstakeholders,internalandexternal.Informationisusedandreused.Inshort,informationisakeybusinessasset.

PlatformingDataPlatformingandarchitectingdatahasneverbeensodifficultandyetsocrucial.Therecipeforsuccessbeginswithagood,well-roundedandcompletearchitecturalapproach.Architectureisimmenselyimportanttoinformationsuccess.Youcanarchitecttheenvironmentinawaythatencouragesdatausebymakingitwell-performing,puttingupthearchitecturequicklyandhavingminimalimpactonusersandbudgetsforchangeoryoucanincurusagelossandinefficiencies.InastudybyKPMG1,60%ofCEOsseedisruptionasanopportunity.Weshouldseedatadisruptionthesame.Thebigchallengefacinganybodytryingtodrivenewbusinessinitiativesisdeliveringdataatthespeedthebusinessrequireswhiledealingwith:• Datavolumegrowth• Datacomplexitygrowth• Technologychange,newanalyticstechnologies,newapplications,newdatastorage

technologies,newcloudsystems

1U.S.CEOOutlook2017:DisruptandGrow.June13,2017.

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Usersofinformationareincreasinglygettinginvolvedininformationarchitecture.Theyarecontributingtoweighingthetradeoffs,assessingtheirworkloadsindeepways,selectingmethodsofdatamovementandlevelsofredundancy,determiningwhatconstitutesdataqualityandselectingtools.ItistheresponsibilityofthosewhoareawareofthepossibilitiesforinformationintheorganizationtocoachtheorganizationinthosepossibilitiesinhowtoUSEtheinformationwisely.Ifyou’rewaitingforthecurrentstateofaffairstogetmoresettled,knowthatisunlikelytohappen.Thetimeisnowtotakeinformationarchitecturetothenextlevel.Architecturecomponentsofdataintegration,dataquality,masterdatamanagement,datasecurity,cloudservicesandbigdatawillanchorthesuccessfulorganization.Informationmustcometogetherinameaningfulfashionortherewillbeunneededredundancy,wasteandopportunitiesmissed.Everymeasureofoptimizingtheinformationassetgoesdirectlytotheorganization’sbottomline.Theremustbea“truenorth”forthisenterpriseinformationarchitecture.Thereisno“onesizefitsall”referencearchitecture.Therearedifferentstartingpointsanddifferenttargetinterimendingpointsforarchitecture.Itneverreallyends.Eachcompanyisatadifferentlevelofmaturityandwillwishtoadvanceatadifferentpaceandmanycompaniesarenotgoingtobeabletomoveatthespeeddesiredwithoutnewskillsinplace.Duetothevolumeofpossibledatastoresandnecessarycomponentsofthemodernsuccessfulinformationarchitecture,leadingvendorsarerespondingwithabundlingofcomponentstofast-trackplatformingdecisionsandefficientlytakeonawiderexpanseoftheinformationarchitecture.ThisistheessenceofanIntelligentDataPlatform.Evenorganizationleaderscantakeatacticalapproachtotheexecutionoftherequirements.However,itdoesnotnecessarilytakelongertosatisfyinformationrequirementsinanarchitectedfashion.Ifarchitectureprinciplesandtechnologypossibilitiesarenotconsideredbeforehand,themeanstosatisfythecurrentrequirementmaybeinappropriatelydefaultedtothemeanstosatisfythelastrequirement.

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Theapproachtoinformationarchitectureis:1. Havea“truenorth”inmindfora5-yearinformationarchitecture,understanding

thatitissubjecttochange2. CommittoanIntelligentDataPlatformaspartofthearchitecture3. Organizenewinformationrequirementsintoworkloads4. Pursuethearchitectureonaworkload-by-workloadbasis,optimizingtheworkload

andsettinguptheenvironmentforefficientfutureinitiativesupport5. Performallworkwithaneyetowardsdeliveringreturnoninvestment(ROI)tothe

businessatthelowesttotalcostofownership(TCO)6. AddlotsofjudgmenttotheprocessthroughoutROIcanhappenthroughshort-termfinancialbottom-lineimpactorthroughinformation-borneinnovationthatyieldsROIlater.Thatiswhatinformationmanagementshouldbeallabout–notspeculation,funexplorationorabookstandard.It’saboutbusiness.Oncewehaveestablished,asabusiness,thataworkloadhashigh,positiveROI(relativetootherpossibilitiesfortheinvestment),weestablishthearchitectureforitthatmeetstheperformance,agilityandscalabilityrequirementswiththelowestTCO.Assuch,someofthispaperisfocusedonconveyingthecapabilitiesofeachplatformtohelpyouallocateworkloadsappropriately–withthelowestTCO!

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HowModernBusinessChallengesareDataChallengesHereareacoupleexamplesofmodernusecasesthatmustbedoneintheirrespectiveindustriesandareoverwhelminglydata-firstinitiatives.

InsuranceandTelematicsConsidertheopportunityoftelematics.Theseareautomobilesystemsthatcombineglobalpositioningsatellite(GPS)trackingandotherwirelesscommunicationsforvariouspurposes:automaticroadsideassistance,remotediagnostics,etc.).Telematicshaveserioustractionintheautoinsuranceindustry,mostfamouslybyProgressiveInsurance.Ifaconsumeroptsinbyplacingasensordeviceintheircar,whichfeedsitsdatatotheinsurancecompany,theycansavemoneyontheirinsuranceifcertainsafedrivingparametersaremet.Thesedevicescapturefinemovementsofthecarandthecar’slocation,bothofwhichdecreasetheoddstoveryminimalthattheinsurancepackagewouldbelessthanprofitabletotheinsurancecompany.Telematicspresentsopportunitiestomonitorandadjustpremiumsforindividualswithpersonalautopoliciesaswellascommercialfleets.ThebigopportunityistoencouragesaferbehaviorsthatbenefitboththeInsurancecompanyandcustomers,potentiallysavinglivesbyincentingsaferdrivinghabits.Thepresenceofadeviceinthevehicle,likeamobilephone,providesdriverbehavioraldata.Combinedwithweather,geographic,andtrafficinformation,itprovidesacontinuousflowonthestateofthevehicleandthesafetyofthepassengersandcargo.Telematicsanalysisstreamlinesvehicleandfleetriskscoring,providingvaluableinputintounderwritingdecisionsandopportunitiestoreviewpremiumsfornecessaryadjustmentsbasedonactualdrivingbehavior.Byintegratingtelematicsanalysisintotheenterprisedataarchitecture,asopposedtotreatingitasanisolatedcapability,addanewdimensiontothecomprehensiveunderstandingofacustomerandthevalueoftherelationshipwiththatcustomer.Inaddition,enterprisecapabilitiessuchasdatavisualizationandcustomerexperienceportalscanmakethemostofthetelematicsinsights.Thearchitectureresponsetothetelematicschallengeistorouteallmobilephone,EnhancedGPSandGPSdataintoadatalakewherevehiclescoringisdoneandfedtoa

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datawarehouse.Theinsightandactionfromtheanalysisthereisusedinpricing,productandunderwritingdecisions.Thismodernusecaseisalmostallaboutharnessingthisdataandlisteningtowhatthisnewclassofdataistryingtotellthecompany.

RetailCustomer360Theconceptofcustomerdataasacompetitiveadvantageisrelativelynewtomanyretailorganizations.Astheretailerbeginstobetterunderstandcustomersandhowtomaximizethevalueofcustomerrelationships,theCustomer360dataassetincreasesinimportance.Withcustomerdatainhand,thefirmcanpursueCRM/1-1strategiesmorequicklyandatlowercostinanintegrateddataandanalyticsenvironment.Becomingmorecustomer-centricisacriticalsuccessfactorbothtoincreasesatisfactionandtoup-sellandcross-sellduringmanycustomerinteractions,includingsales,especiallyatacompletionwhereacustomermaybeawareofrelatedproductsorsatisfiedwiththecompanyandwithpropensitytoexpandtheirrelationshiptoadditionalproducts.Formanytoday,thereisnotasmoothintegratedexperience.Opportunitiesforupsellandcross-sellarenotsoughtouteffectivelyduringthesale.Nextbestoffersarenotpartoftheinteractions.Telechannel,chat,web,andpersonalcontactexperiencesarenotintegratedacrossmostretailers.Thisgapmustbefilledtoremaincompetitiveandtomaximizethevalueofeachcustomerrelationship.Muchofthisgaprequirescustomerrelationshipmanagement(CRM)strategyandapplications,butotherkeydata&analyticsarchitecturalcomponentsplayakeyrole.Thisinitiativecreatesadefinitive,robust,andauthoritativecustomermaster,becomingarobustsourceofrecordfortheenterprise.Byusingamasterdatamanagement(MDM)system,datastewardsmanagingcustomerinformationanddataabouttherolesthatcustomersplayhaveasingleplacetomanagedata.Managementofcustomerdataalsoincludesrobustnameandaddresshygienecapabilitiestokeepcustomeraddressesup-to-dateandaccurate.Customer360alsoprovidesameansfortakingthisdataacrosstheenterprise.Variousgroupsgainextensiveaccesstoinformationaboutcustomerlocations,behaviors,demographics,storerelationships,andotherinformationcriticaltobuildingmore

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valuablerelationships,andtofindnewcustomersthatarelikelytobevaluable.Thisisheavydataintegration.Arewardingcustomerexperiencerequiressignificantlymorenearreal-timeintegrationand,increasingly,predictiveanalyticsthanexistsinmostorganizationstoday.Customersdon’twanttoconfrontinternalorganizationalboundaries.Theywantacustomerexperiencethat’saboutthem,andtheirneeds.Whentheyupdateinformationaboutthemselves,suchasachangeofaddress,theyexpecttodoitonce.Iftheycalltoupdatetheircontactphonenumber,theyexpecttoseeitreflectedonthewebsitewithinminuteofcompletingthephonecall.AnEnterpriseoperationaldatastoreisakeycomponenttoachievingthislevelofnearreal-timeintegration.Improvementsmustbemadetodaytosmoothenthetransitionofcustomercommunicationsbetweensilosandgetcustomerdatainplacetosucceedacrosstheenterprise.

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DataMaturityMeansBusinessMaturityInthecompetitivearenaofinformationmanagement,wehaveseenthebarsethighereveryyearforeverylevelofdatamaturityandcompetitiveness.Indeed,astheHaitianProverbgoes,“BeyondtheMountainlieMoreMountains.”However,unlikemountainranges,new“mountains”intermsofinformationcapabilitiesarecontinuallybeingcreatedbythevendorcommunityandhighlymatureorganizations.Onceyougettoapeak,youlookoutandthereisanotherpeak.Forexample,comingsoontobeingaparityitem,anddistinctlyonthedatamaturityspectrum,isartificialintelligence.It’sapluswhenyourkeyvendorsarehelpingtopavethatpathforyou.Topperformersrealizetheyneedmoredataundermanagementfortheirbusiness.Theycontinuallygrowthedatascienceoftheirorganization.Theyrealizetimeshavechangedfromlast-minutesingle-usedatapullsandevenfromthe“everythinggoesintoadatawarehouse”mentality.Today,it’salldata,includingthirdpartydata,withqualityandspeed-andarchitectureandmaturity,whichsetupfutureusesefficiently.Anytechnologistwoulddowelltotakethemselvesoutofacomplete“support”mindsetandintoaleadershipmindsetfortheinitiativestheyareuniquelypositionedtochampionintotheorganization.Thesedata-basedinitiativesarethecutting-edgecompetitiveinitiativesthatwillsettheorganizationapart.Whenyouare“intheknow”,asaninformationprofessionalshouldbe,thereistheobligationtocreatetheseinitiatives.Increasingly,itisbeingexpectedoftheinformationprofessional.InadditiontothetraditionaltopitemofIT-usersatisfaction-topperformersneedtoinitiatewithintheircompanyaswellasraisetheinformationfoundationofthecompanytodealwithcurrentandfutureinitiativesefficiently.Theseactsofleadershipmustbedoneoutsidetheconfinesofabudget.Budgetscomeforprojectsupport.Leadershipisopportunisticandhappenswithinthebudgetaryframeworkoftheprojects.Everydaythereisopportunitytoleadandmaturethedataenvironment.Thatmaturedataenvironmentwouldbematureacrossthedimensionsoftechnology,datastrategy,architectureandorganization.Eachpillarmustberaised.Justasyoucannotskipdatamaturitylevels,youcannotraisesinglepillarswithouttheothers.Forexample,youcannothaveahighlymaturedatastrategywithremedialtechnology.

Topperformersrealizetheyneedmoredataundermanagementfor

theirbusiness.

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Dataquality,masterdatamanagement,datasecurity,cloudservicesandbigdatawillanchorthesuccessfulorganization.Andwithamodernarchitecture,therewillbeanabundantneedfordataintegration.Therewillbeaplethoraofdatastorageoptionsutilizedinahighlymatureenvironmentthatiseffectivelymatchingworkloadstoplatforms.Inadditiontothedatawarehouse,therewillbeaDataLake,probablyinHadooporS3,numerouscolumnstoresandin-memory/memorystoragestores,masterdatamanagement,streamingdata,andNoSQLandNewSQLoperationalstoresinadditiontolegacyrelationalstores.Datawillbeamajorpointofexecutiveconversation.DataGovernancewillbepervasive,authoritativeandsupportinitiatives.Dataqualitywillbescored(andhigh).Initiativeswillbedonebytrueagilemethodsandwithaccompanyingorganizationalchangemanagement.Thishighdatamaturityiswhatsupportsthebusinessofinformation,demonstratestheemergingbusinessleadershipandaddressesthemodernbusinesschallenges.

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InformationArchitectureisKeytoBusinessViabilityMaturityunderliespositivedigitaltransformation.Whetherbyourchoicetoadaptandadoptorexternalforcesthatthrustdisruptionuponus,organizationsmustdrivetheseinitiativestoremainviable.Improvingfinancialperformanceandcompetitivepositionsaretheeffectofstrivingtechnologicallytowardsdeepercustomerrelationships,efficientoperations,personalizedexperiences,anddetectinganomalies.Therightinformationattherighttimetomaketherightdecisionhasbeenthemantraofinformationmanagementsinceitsinfancy.Thathasnotchangedmuch,buttherelationshipofhumanandmachineinteractionandwhoisproducinganddeliveringdata,timingitsarrival,andmakingthedecisiontotakeactionisshiftmorefromhumantomachine.Thenatureofdataanalysisanddecisionmakingisshifting,evenoutsidethebusinessworld.However,mostorganization’sinformationecosystemsarenotarchitectedforanadvancedtransformationofthisveryrealandpresentparadigmshift.Regardlesswhetheryouaremakingadecisiontodoamajorrerouteofasupplychainorwhatmovietogoseethisevening,orwhetherthisdecisionismadewithartificialintelligenceorahumanbrain,theneedtohavetrustedreliabledataremains.Theinformationmustbearchitectedtoarriveatthebestpossibleconclusion.Takingthemovieexample,theinformationarchitectureofadecadeagowaspickingupthenewspapertocheckshowtimes.Butthisdataissiloed.Itdoesnotpossessweatherdata,trafficdata,crowdindexes,dinnerreservationavailability,orevenyoursentimentofothermoviegoers.Ifyoucouldbringallthatdatatogetherinoneplace,youcouldquicklymaketherightdecision.Youcouldevenautomatethedecision.Thus,a30-minutediscussionandcontemplationofwhatmovie,whenandwheretogo,iftoevengoatall,couldbecondensedintoaninstantaneousdecision.Nowthinkoftheimpactinareal-lifebusinesssituation.Anygoodarchitecturaldesignwillhaveablueprint,aschematicofeverythingneededtocompletethestructure.Youwouldn’tbuildahouseandforgettoplanfor,say,theelectricalwiring.Toensurenothingkeyisoverlooked,let’sgooverthekeycomponentsofamoderninformationarchitectureandgivebusinessrationaleforitsimportance.

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DiverseDataIngestandIntegrationAmoderninformationmanagementarchitecturemustbeabletoahandleallkindsofdata.It’snotjusttraditionalbusinessdataconvenientlystoredinotherrelationaldatabases,butalldata.Thecombinationofdatafrommanysources—bothexternalandinternal—isdrivinganewwaveofinsightsandinnovations.Thearchitectureisatthereadytocapturedatafromevenhighlyfragmentedsources,regardlessofstructure,volume,technologyplatform,orlocation.Thisiscriticalfortoday’scomplexenterprises.Thearchitectureconsumes:

• Withanystructure(orlackthereof)—Structured,semi-structured,unstructured• Usinganyintegrationmethod—Batch,real-time,streaming,API• Havinganymetadata—Application-,pattern-,product-based• Fromanysource—Databases,webapps,mobileapps,bigdatasystems,sensors,

socialmedia,etcetera• Fromanylocation—On-premises,remote,cloud,hybrid,thirdparty,public

DataUnderManagementHowever,wearenottalkingaboutjustadatalake,oradumpinggroundforalldata.Thedatamustbetransformedandmanagedintoatrusted,secure,governed,accessibleform-readyfortimelyandactionabledecisionmaking.Justbecausedataiscominginfromanywhereandeverywheredoesnotexcuseusfromapplyingthesamedisciplineandcaretowardsitsquality,completeness,andsecuritythanwewouldourgeneralledger.Thus,yourmodernarchitecturemustincludethecapacityformasterdatamanagement,datagovernance,dataquality,andsecurity.However,thesearenotsimplisticimplementationofvarioustools.Donotgetcaughtinthetrapofthinking,“Oh,we’vegotthatcovered”withtheseveryimportantdisciplines.Infact,iftheyarenotmature,theymustmature.Questiontoaskinclude:• Canyourbusinessusersquicklyidentifydatathathasprescribeddatagovernance

andcompliancerequirements?• Canyourdatastewardseasilyassessandvisualizethequalityofdata?

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• Canyourdatasecurityprofessionalsdetectdatamisuse,protectsensitivedata,anddemonstratethatappropriatedetectionandpreventionmechanismsaremaintained?

• Canyoursystemadminsleveragepredictivemaintenanceandperformanceoptimizationalgorithmsindatamanagementprocesses?

Ifyouanswered“No”toanyorallofthese,keysupportstructuresinyourarchitecturemayneedbolsteringtoachieveyourmodernizationgoals.

360˚ViewsWehavealreadyexploredtheuseandpowerofCustomer360˚.ThesameneedsaretrueforProduct,Supplier,StoreLocation,andotherkeyentities.Modernarchitecturefordigitaltransformationwillseedatamanagedfromendtoend.Thismeansfromthemomentitissourcedtothetimeitmaterializesina360˚view,eachpieceofdataismanaged.Datahasbusinessvalue—andeventhoughitissometimesdifficulttoquantify—valueismultipliedandgainedwhendataisleveraged,enhanced,andmadeavailable.The360˚viewisthemodernarchitecture’smaterializedinsightofexperience.Howisacustomer’sexperiencewithus,ourproducts,ourlocations?Whatisourexperiencewithoursuppliers?360˚viewsdon’tjusthappenwithouttheunderlyingarchitectureofend-to-enddatamanagement,andthebusinessvalueofthediversedataweareintegratingandmanagingisnotrealizedwithouteffective360˚viewsandotheradvanceduses.

ArtificialIntelligenceEnablementSuchanadvanceduseinthemodernarchitectureistheenablementofartificialintelligence(AI).Ina2017studycommissionedbyTeradata,shortcomingsinarchitectureandinfrastructurerankedhigherthanlackoftalentorbudgetasbarrierstoAIimplementations.AIforemostneedsdata-qualitydataprovidedbyarobustarchitecture.ThearchitectureforAIhasseveralhallmarks.First,itisbuiltonanenablementstrategy.BusinessprioritiesandcurrentcapabilitiesareidentifiedinallAIusecases.Second,modernarchitecturewillenableAIinthedatapipeline,notjustasananalyticendpoint.Thishugepointcannotbeoveremphasized,becauseitisoftenoverlooked.AIcanbe

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appliedtodatamovingfromsourcesintotheinformationecosystempriortoconsumptionandanalysis.Thiscanincludeassessingdatasimilarity,auto-tagging,recommendationstouserssearchingfordata,anddiscoveringstructureinrawdata,butalsofuturepossibilities,includingself-integrationanddevelopmentactionrecommendations.FewITbudgetsseengrowthsincethefinancialcrisisof2008.Yetthevolumeandcomplexityofdatahave,aswellatthetechnologychange.Howwillyoucompete?AIprovidesawaytodomorewiththesameorlessresourceswhenusedtoautomatedatamanagement.Getyourdataacttogether.Beginningwithalookatyourarchitecturefortransformationiscritical.Itmaybethekeytoyourbusiness’futureviability.

ModernarchitecturewillenableAIinthedatapipeline,notjustasananalyticendpoint.

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TheIntelligentDataPlatformResponseIntherecentpast,manyofthecriticalcapabilitiesofthemoderndatamanagementplatformhavebeenlargelyoutofreachformanyorganization.Evenmorechallenging,ordownrightimpossible,wastofindallthesecapabilitiesintegratedintoonesolution.Itsimplydidnotexist.Entertheplatformapproach.Bydefinition,aplatformisafoundationaltechnology(orstackoftechnologies)thatareusedasabaseuponwhichotherapplications,processes,andusesaredeveloped.Upuntilthistime,informationmanagementplatformshavebeensingularpurpose—adatawarehouseplatform,amasterdatamanagementplatform,adatagovernanceplatform,andsoon.Amultifaceted,fullspectrum,end-to-enddatamanagementplatformwasnotevenanoption.Theplatformapproachshouldbeastrongconsiderationforanyorganizationseekingtobuilditupthecriticaldatamanagementcapabilitieswediscussedintheprevioussection.First,theplatformapproachbringsthekeydatamanagementcapabilitiestotheorganization.Atrueplatformwillbedatasource,datavolume,datavariety,anddatastructureagnostic—thusitenablestheintegrationofhighlydiversedata.Aplatformalsobringsallkeydatatogetherwithfacilitates360˚viewsofcustomer,product,vendor,andsoforth.Aplatformalsoisafoundationforcurrentandfutureapplications—includingartificialintelligenceandmachinelearningalgorithms—toacceleratetheproductivityofallusers.Aplatformbringsafullsuiteorstackofdatamanagementtoolstocoverallkeydisciplines—whetherthedataismasterortransactional,operationaloranalytical,heavilygovernedorqualityassuredthroughautomation,bigdataoragoldenrecord,real-timeandstreamingorbatchloaded,usedforreferenceorforcompute-intensiveoperations…aplatformisrobustandflexibleenoughtohandleitall.Second,aplatformreducesthecomplexityofdatamanagementinanincreasinglycomplexdataenvironment.CIOsandotherdataleadershipfaceanever-increasingchallengeofnewdataandevolvingbusinessquestions.Theymustbalanceinnovationandarapidlyexpandingusecaseportfoliowithless-than-rapidlyexpanding(orstagnantorevenshrinking)budgets.Withaplatformapproach,itcanbeawelcomechallenge,becauseaplatformcandecreasethecomplexityofmanagingalldata—openingthe

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possibilitytonewdataanduseswithoutanexpensivecapitaloutlayandacquiringexpensivetalenttodevelopandsupportthenewtechnology.Itistimetostopthinkingofdataintegration,dataquality,masterdatamanagement,datasecurity,andsoonasseparateapplications,butmoreasstepsinadatamanagementpipeline.AplatformcanprovideaconsistentUIandfunctionsothattheplatformworksconsistentlyfromdatamanagementfunctiontofunction,loweringthelearningcurveandacceleratingproductivity.Third,itunifiesapproachesandralliespracticeanddisciplinearoundaunifiedapproach.RogueorshadowITarebecomingmoreprevalent.Oftentheintentioniswellmeaning,buttoooftenshadowITemergeswhenthecentralizedtechnologystructuresareseenastoocumbersomeortooslowtorespondtobusinessdemand.ThissplinteringanddisenchantmentofITintheorganizationcausesahostofproblemssuchasunnecessarycosts,unsupportedandunsanctionedsolutions,andoverlappingservicesandtechnologies.Evenmoreproblematicisthelackofunityanddisciplinewithdata.Multiplecopiesofkeydataandincongruentdatadefinitionsandbusinessruleswillhauntanorganizationwithmanypainpoints.However,ontheothersideofthecoin,thespiritofinnovationshouldnotbesquashed,butenabled.Aplatformapproachgivesafoundationtobuildon,butalsoaunifiedonewherebestpracticesindatadisciplinecanbemanaged.RogueITgroupscaninnovateandbuildwhattheyneed,buttheydoitintheconfinesofaunifiedplatformleveragingunified,managed,andgoverneddata.Codereuseandtransferableskillsbecomemorepossibleinamorestandardizedenvironment.Agoodplatformshouldprovideasetoftoolsforanykindofdata.Finally,theplatformapproachenablesfutureinnovationwithdataandfutureproofsusagainstinevitableshiftsindatatechnologytrends.Itusedtobethateveryyearbroughtnewtrendsandtechnologiesinthedataworld,nowitseemstoshifteveryquarter.Theinnovationandresultingchangesneverends.EvenifHadoopisoldnews,andPythonbecomesobsolete,aplatformapproachprovidesaframeworkagnosticandaprotectionagainstshiftsintechnologies,data,programminglanguages,andotherfacetsofinformationmanagement.Alegacyapplicationbuiltonanoldertechnologyremainssupportedbytheplatform,butanewapplicationusingcutting-edge(orbleeding-edge)technologycanbepluggedintotheplatformandleveragethesamemanageddataandservicesasthelegacyone.

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Aplatformwithadvancedcapabilitieswillprovideautomation.Forexample,newdatacouldbeautomaticallyrecognizedandonboardedintotheinformationecosystem.Automaticintegrationcouldoccurforknowndatatypesandsources.Intelligentsuggestionsforreusebasedonpriorwork.Aplatformapproachissimplyasmartwaytogo.Reductionincostandcomplexityandexpandinguseandinnovationarecriticaltoenablingandsustainingbusinessviabilitywithinformationmanagement.Justastheworkofhundredsofblacksmithswereturnedintoanassemblyline,aplatformcanenablethesameautomationinyourdata.

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SequencingInitiativesUtilizinganIDPAnadvantagetotheInformatica’splatformapproachtodatamanagementisitsmodularity.Piecebypiece,blockbyblockisasmartwaytobuildouttheplatform—especiallyfromthegroundup.Integration,360˚domainviews,masterdatamanagement,security,bigdata,andsoforthcanbethoughtofasindividualLego™blocks—arranged,stacked,andconnectedinaconfigurationandonatimelinethatsuitstheenterprise’sneeds,desiredpace,andbudget.Thekeyistodoitstrategically.Aroadmaptobuildanintegrateddataplatformiscrucial,andthepropersequencingofthecomponentsisacriticalsuccessfactor.Thinkbig(abouttheplatformandtheoveralldatalandscape),startsmall(withoneortwocomponentsyoucanmanageandachieveandearlywin),andscalefast(byusingthemomentumtoovercomedataandorganizationalinertiaandcontinuingtobuildoutandgrowtheburgeoningplatform).First,thinkbig.Youmustenvisionthedatamanagementplatformyouwanttobuild.Whatcapabilitiesdoesyourbusinessabsolutelyneedtobesuccessfulinitscompetitivemarket?Whatismostlikelytodisruptyourindustryinthenext24-48months?Whattechnologiesaregoingtogetyouaheadofthatcurve?Whenit’sclearwhatyouarebuildingtowards,youcanbeginbuildingthebaserequiredtogetthere.Weallalsoknowinnovationanddisruptioncanhappenfast,sothefoundationalplatformmustgiveyouthespeedandagilitytodevelopanddeployanewapplicationortechnologyquickly.Ifyouadoptanewemergingtechnologythatwillchangethegameamongyourindustrypeers,youcanbeboggeddownby6monthsof“dataconversion”or“dataqualitywoes”togetitofftheground.Thedataneedstobethereandwaitingforthefutureapplicationsthatwillconnect,consume,andproduceadditionaldata.Second,startsmall.Stepbackandstrategicallyassesswhereyouare.Askyourselfwhatarethedatariskstomovingnewbusinessinitiativesforward.Areyouin“spreadsheetpurgatory”plaguedby“spreadmarts”andDeath-by-Excel?Considergettingyourkeydataundermanagementwithmasterdatamanagement.Areyouoverwhelmedbyaninfluxofdatavolumeandvarietythatiseitherbeingignored,unanalyzed,orevenworse,discarded?Considerasmartly-constructeddatalake.Doyouhavenowaytogetitintothatlakeanddisperseitamongstkeytechnologies?Startwithintegration.Isthedataofsuchpoorqualityandreliabilitythatthebusinessdoesn’ttrustitoritisunsuitabletobuildon?Getgoingwithadataqualitycomponent.Pickingtherightplacestartshouldbemorethoughtfulthanablindfoldeddartthrow.Considerprofessionalservicesthatcan

First,thinkbig.

Second,startsmall.

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helpassessyourcurrentstateandpavearoadmapforsuccessandplatformbuildout.Theycanassistyouinstartingwithanimportantbusinessproblemwithclearbenefits,butthatisscopedforfairlyquicksuccess.Third—andthisistheexcitingpart—scalefast.Gainingmomentumwithanearlysuccessandwithastrategicroadmapinplace,youcangrowandexpandintothefull-stackend-to-enddataplatformthatwillempoweryourbusinessinitiativeswiththedataisneedstoevolve,adapt,andevendisrupt.Thisisdatacapabilitymaturityatitshighestlevel—optimizeddatamanagement.Scalingfastdoesnotmeanoutpacingyourmaturity,butharnessingtheplatformanditsmaturityandrapidlydeveloping,deploying,andpivotingoffit.WithInformaticaIntelligentDataplatform,dataisanassetandthepossibilitiesaremaximized.

Third—andthisistheexciting

part—scalefast.

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KeystoIntelligentDataPlatformSuccessStayBusiness-Focused.Whilethedomainsofdataintegration,dataquality,masterdatamanagement,datasecurity,cloudservicesandbigdataareinstrumentalinachievingbusinessresults,theyarenottheendproductthatbusinessneeds.Yourbusinessneedsbottom-lineresults–ROI.ROIcanhappenthroughshort-termfinancialbottom-lineimpactorthroughinformation-borneinnovationthatyieldsROIlater.Theinitiativesyouadvocateshouldnotbe“masterdatamanagement”,“bigdata”andthelike.TheyshouldbeclosertoROIasin“targetedmarketing”,“fraudelimination”,etc.LeadfromData.Asnotedbefore,DataLeadershipisBusinessLeadership.Asadataprofessional,bebold.Inmanyorganizations,thedataprofessionalsholdthekeystocompanyviabilityandsuccess,yetthebusinessdoesnotalwaysrecognizethat.UtilizingnewapproacheslikeanIntelligentDataPlatformareessentialtokeepingdatamaturitygoing.Getthedataacttogetherforyourcompanysuchthatthedatais“screamingout”whatneedstobedonewithit.Thisisthehighcallingofthedataprofessionaltoday.SequenceAppropriately.Igavethisatreatmentintheearliersectionduetoitsimportance.SomeelementsofthesequencingoftheinitiativesoftheIntelligentDataPlatformareeasytodo,howinitiativessetupotherinitiativesand,ofcourse,thebusinessimportance.Keepinmindyouaresequencingbusinessinitiatives,nottechnologyinitiatives.Youjusthappentobebuildingtheintelligentdataplatformoutaspartoftheinitiatives.ConsiderTheStaff.Teammembernumbers,skillsandabilitytodedicatetotheinitiativesmustbeconsideredinbuildingtheroadmaptotheintelligentdataplatform.IrecommendaNavySealapproachwithfewer,experiencedresourcesthatcanoperateatthespeedthatthebusinessultimatelyrequires.Furthermore,theintelligentdataplatformcannotbeaccomplishedwithoutanintensefocusonthemanyandgrowingtechnicalbasesthatcanbeusedtostore,viewandmanagedata.Therearemanynow,morethanever,thathavemeritinorganizationstoday,whichiswhyIadvocatecompanieshaveaChiefDataArchitect,orsimilar,positiontogoverntheintroductionofnewdatatechnologies.ApproachThat“TrueNorth”ArchitectureEveryDay.Youwillbeeithermovingyourdatamaturityupordowneverydayandrememberthematuritylevelcredentialscontinuallychange.Artificialintelligencelooms.Momentummattersandcantaketheorganizationswiftlytohigherdatamaturityifmaintained.HistoricallydatahasnotbeencentraltoITarchitecture.Thatisfundamentallychangingasthebusinessseesthevalueofdatatoprovidecompetitivedifferentiationintermsofbettercustomer

Keepinmindyouaresequencingbusiness

initiatives,nottechnologyinitiatives.

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experiences,betterpatienthealthcareoutcomes,betteroperationaldecisions,etc.Elicitbusinesshelpandsupportingrowingthedatamaturity.RevisittheTargetArchitecturePeriodically.Forthevolatileandfast-changing,yetveryimportantbusinessassetofdata,thetargetarchitectureshouldberevisitedevery6monthstoensuretheplansareinsynchwiththebestapproachesandtechnologiesthemarkethastooffer.Anintelligentdataplatformthatcangrowinamodularfashionapproachhelpstoenablerapidchangesindatamanagementprioritieswhileminimizingdisruptiontoproductivity.ExhibitLeadership.Changenevercomeseasily.Yet,datafoundationsatorganizationsneedrapidandconsistentchangetoday.Continualadvocacyoftheintelligentdataplatformandotherapproachesdeemedessentialisgoingtoberequired.Leadwithagoodhelpingofpositiveattitude,delegation,vision,motivationandgoalsandyourjourneywillbeexcitingandproductive.

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TheInformaticaIntelligentDataPlatformTheInformaticaIntelligentDataPlatform(IDP)isanintegratedend-to-enddatamanagementplatformtospurdatamaturityandenablebusinessinitiativeswiththerightdataattherighttime.IDPalsoaimstodecreasecomplexitybyprovidingaunifiedplatformforenterprisedata,connectivity,metadata,andoperations.Thisbringstheentirerealmofdatamanagementunderasingleumbrella.TheIDPralliestheenterprisearoundasimplifiedandunifieddatamanagementcapability,becauseitacceleratesthedevelopmentanddeploymentofnewdatamanagementprojects.Itisbasedonanext-generation,no-codinguserexperienceacrossallofthedatamanagementcapabilitiesoftheplatform.Nomoredataconversions,expensivedataintegrationdevelopment,orqualityissues.The“data”barontechnologyprojectGanttchartsshrinkconsiderably.TheIDPalsoprovidesapowerfulandconsistentsetofcapabilitiesformanagingdatawhereveritlives—on-premisesorinthecloud—andwhatitis—frommasterdatatobigdata.TheIntelligentDataPlatformisalsomodularallowingyoutostartwithanysinglecomponentandgrowatapacethatmakessensefortheorganization.Relativelyfeworganizationsaregoingtogetfundingtogodoawholenewdatamanagementarchitectureatonce.Investinginitandbuildingitoutastheydelivernewbusinessinitiativesandtheirneedsgrowaremoretypical.Thefollowingdiagramillustratesthedifferentcomponents.

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WhatlikelywillsettheInformaticaIDPapart,however,isitsartificialintelligence(AI)capability—theCLAIRE™engine.CLAIRE™—orCloud-scaleAI-poweredReal-timeEngine—usesAIandmachine-learningpoweredbyenterprise-widedataandmetadatatoautomateaspectsofdatacapabilitymaturityandsignificantlyboosttheproductivityofallmanagersandusersofdataacrosstheorganization.CLAIRE™uses(andaugments)metadata—thetechnical,business,operational,andusagedataaboutdata—tointelligentlyacceleratedatamanagementcapabilitiesintheIntelligentDataPlatform.CLAIRE™currentlyenablesintelligentdiscoveryofdatasimilarity,discoveryofdomainsandclassificationviatagging,entitydetectionanddefinition,datarecommendations,discoveryofdatastructure,andanomalydetection.Informaticaplanstocontinuetointegrateintoadditionalpartsoftheplatformovertime.Byautomatingthesecapabilitieswithartificialintelligence,youcanseehowrapidlydatamanagementcapabilitiesarepropelledforwardandnewdataacquisitionisaccelerated.Data-centricbusinessinitiativesarebuiltonafoundationofdataanddatamanagementmaturity.Remainingcompetitiveandleadingintoday’sbusinessclimaterequiresbuildingacompetentdatamanagementcapabilitytofullyleveragethepowerofdataanddeliverdataatthespeedthebusinessrequires.Datamanagementischallengingevenunderordinarycircumstances,butundertheextraordinarycircumstancesofthemodernworld,conventionalapproachescannotmeetthechallengeorscaleintothefuture.Standardizeonanend-to-enddatamanagementplatformthatusesthepowerofyourdata,metadata,andadvancedcapabilitieslikemachinelearningandAItoremaininfrontofdigitaltransformationthatischangingourworld.Dataprovidestheforesighttobecomemoreagile,realizenewgrowthopportunitiesoreveninventnewthings,andwillbeleveragednotjustonce,butagainandagain.GetyourdataacttogetherwiththeInformaticaIntelligentDataPlatform.

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AbouttheAuthorWilliamisPresidentofMcKnightConsultingGroup.Heisaninternationallyrecognizedauthorityininformationmanagement.HisconsultingworkhasincludedmanyoftheGlobal2000andnumerousmid-marketcompanies.Histeamshavewonseveralbestpracticecompetitionsfortheirimplementationsandmanyofhisclientshavegonepublicwiththeirsuccessstories.Hisstrategiesformtheinformationmanagementplanforleadingcompaniesinvariousindustries.WilliamisauthorofthebooksIntegratingHadoopandManagement:StrategiesforGainingaCompetitiveAdvantagewithData.Williamisapopularspeakerworldwideandaprolificwriterwithhundredsofpublishedarticlesandwhitepapers.Williamisadistinguishedentrepreneur,andaformerFortune50technologyexecutiveandsoftwareengineer.Heprovidesclientswithstrategies,architectures,platformandtoolselection,andcompleteprogramstomanageinformation.

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AboutInformaticaDigitaltransformationchangesexpectations:betterservice,fasterdelivery,withlesscost.Businessesmusttransformtostayrelevantanddataholdstheanswers.Astheworld’sleaderinEnterpriseCloudDataManagement,we’repreparedtohelpyouintelligentlylead—inanysector,categoryorniche.Informaticaprovidesyouwiththeforesighttobecomemoreagile,realizenewgrowthopportunitiesorcreatenewinventions.With100%focusoneverythingdata,weoffertheversatilityneededtosucceed.WeinviteyoutoexploreallthatInformaticahastooffer—andunleashthepowerofdatatodriveyournextintelligentdisruption.